This unidentified friend of Velma might be longing for a
ride to Richmond, but I’m longing to know whose fingers are hanging onto the
sign and feet are dangling below.

Velma’s friend Bill Porter (yeah, she’s a girl - the one on the right) and an
unidentified friend wait at the train station on campus. They probably did not really travel home
dressed like this. They might have been going
to Massanutten Mountain for a hike.
Still, that must have been where Velma stood to catch the train to
Shenandoah for 17 days of vacation in civilization.

Between train trips home, college freshmen probably wrote
a lot of letters about the terrible food, the difficult tests, and unreasonable
professors.

This March 26, 1925 picture is captioned "Tommy." I don't know what's up with all these girls with boys' names. I do not see any girl in Velma's yearbook with this name. Maybe it's a nickname for her last name -- maybe she's Somebody Thomas or Thompson. The train and mailbox provided an important lifeline to those college freshmen longing for home.

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About Me

My name is Wendy. About twenty years ago, I helped my mother research the Jolletts. Since retiring from teaching, I have expanded my research which I share here. When I’m not looking for my own family, I index for FamilySearch and the Greene County Historical Society.
Welcome to Jollett Etc. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. If you have more information or believe we are related, EMAIL ME at wendymath at cox dot net